Questing (Cosmis Connections, Book One)

by Huffert, Barbara

  “Did he tell you what he’s going to do?” Dee asked.

  “If you’re referring to that big meeting, yes and before you ask, I’m not saying a word. If either of you wants to know about it, you can go ask him. It’s not my place to tell you. But no, that’s not what I meant. Oh sure, their meeting will change a lot of things. In fact, I’m astounded at what Jordan and Brett are capable of. Actually, I’d give just about anything to be part of it. But it’s more than that. Brett showed up while I was there. It appears that all Jordan’s clients received one of those letters.” Dee passed it to Kiley. “He’s working on something that Brett doesn’t know about and Brett was clearly concerned. By concerned, I mean more than just worried that his friend’s heart was just broken. He’s not being included. I got the impression that Jordan is distancing himself from everyone and everything, including Brett who, in my opinion is so far beyond worried that he’s downright scared.

  “Kiley, I’m only going to say this once unless you bring it up so you don’t have to be afraid to come back here. You know I’m your friend but I’m Jordan’s too. I hate what you’re doing, the way you’re hurting him. But I can see that you’re hurting yourself as much, if not more. I can’t figure out why but I’m begging you, for both your sakes, put an end to it. Listen to your heart not the lies in your head. Go talk to him. Listen to him. You know he’s a good man. Stop being a damn fool and do whatever it takes to get him back. Admit that you need him. Go and get things back on track before you manage to ruin both your lives.”

  Will stood. “That’s it. No more lectures from me. I’ll leave you girls to talk now. Dee, yell when dinner’s ready and let me know if I’m joining you or eating in front of the computer.” He kissed his wife. “Kiley, don’t blow it, okay? He’ll make you happy if you let him, I know it.”

  “Kiley, what did you say to Jordan?” Dee asked once they were alone. “Will doesn’t usually get that vocal about anything unless he’s extremely upset.”

  “Nothing, really. I’d rather not talk about it.”

  “But if you don’t talk about it, how are we going to figure out how best to fix it?”

  “There’s nothing to fix.” Kiley jumped up. “Um, I’m not really all that hungry so I’m just going to head home. Thanks anyway.”

  “Kiley, wait!” Dee tried to stop her. “Please stay. I promise that we’ll talk about whatever you want.”

  “I’m sorry, Dee. I can’t.” She practically ran from the house with Dee watching helplessly.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “What’s up with you these days, McKade?” the officer at the desk asked when Shane checked in at the end of his shift.

  “Same old, same old. Why?” Shane responded.

  “First, the mysterious suit comes after your brother and that other guy. Then the same buddy who came looking for him calls for you. Now the camera babe shows up, wanting to wait for you no matter how long it takes.”

  “Camera babe?” Shane stalled even though he already knew who she was.

  “Yeah, you know, the one who did that gang shit.”

  “Where is she?” He looked around and spotted Alyssa on a bench in the corner. He stalked around the counter without waiting for a response. “Campini, if you’re here to gloat, you can skip it.”

  “Hang on, McKade. I come in peace.” Alyssa jumped to her feet and held up her hands as she faced him. “Is there some place more private we can talk?”

  “I’m done for the day. Let’s go.” Shane headed for the door, not checking to see if she followed.

  “Slow down. Please?” Alyssa was running to keep up with him.

  “What do you want?” He spun and glared at her.

  “I need your help,” she said quietly.

  “You what?” He was stunned.

  “I said I need your help. With Kiley.”

  “Right,” he sneered. “I guess throwing everything he thought he’d found with her back in his face isn’t enough for her even though it broke him. What more does she want? Wait. I know. You’re here to talk me into holding him down for her while she grinds her heel into what little is left of him. You know, squash him like a bug. Well, you and that little miss innocent cousin of yours,” he snorted, “can just forget it!”

  Shane was past the point of listening so nothing Alyssa tried to say got through to him. He completely ignored her attempts to interrupt as he ranted on and on. Finally, since he was towering over her, she balled up her hand and punched him as hard as she could to stop his tirade.

  For several long seconds, Shane stood there, staring and clutching his stomach. “You hit me! I don’t believe you just fucking hit me!”

  “Shut the fuck up and listen or I’ll do it again,” Alyssa snarled, fist clenched, poised to follow through on her threat. “She’s completely wrecked too. I’m here because I need your help getting through to her so she starts thinking straight again.”

  Scowling, Shane studied her before nodding. “How?”

  “Do you know what happened with Winslow and that other guy?”

  “Yes. I was there for most of it.”

  “Somehow, Kiley got this weird idea stuck in her head that your brother was just acting like a nice guy and really isn’t one. I’ve tried everything I can think of to get her to call him and ask what went on but she won’t do it. It’s like she’s decided to throw away what they could have and I don’t get it.”

  “Why are you so sure that telling Kiley about it will make a difference?”

  “Because if she listens, I mean really listens, she’ll know that everything Jordan did, he did out of love to protect her. I can see that no problem but for some reason, she can’t.”

  “She wouldn’t listen to him. What makes you think she’ll listen to me?”

  “I don’t expect you to give her a choice. I think your brother probably didn’t insist on her hearing him out because he knew his pushing to explain would upset her worse than she already was.”

  “And you don’t think I will?”

  “Sure you will but you’ll be upsetting her for her own good. She’ll be so shocked that you showed up in the first place that you can get her listening before she realizes what’s going on and can shut you out.”

  “But you haven’t asked me what happened.”

  “I’m not the one who needs to know.”

  “You’re not curious?”

  “Of course I am but I’m guessing that everything went the way Jordan wanted it to or he’d still be doing something.”

  “How do you know he’s not?”

  “I spoke with Dee yesterday who told me everything was settled. And she said your brother is getting rid of clients and working on something private that Will knows about but won’t tell her. She also told me Kiley acts like a robot on autopilot at work. Is your brother sleeping? My cousin isn’t. It’s time to do something before they both make themselves sick.”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way but are you sure Kiley should be with him? It’s not that I doubt her really but Jordan is so destroyed already. I won’t do anything to hurt him more.”

  “That’s why you need to see Kiley. If she still insists on ignoring the life she should have then he doesn’t ever need to know.” Alyssa looked lost. “McKade, I don’t know what’s gotten into her. A week ago, I would have bet everything that they’d be inseparable forever. If you can’t get through to her, I’m going to have to face the fact that my sweet cousin has lost her mind completely and gone totally insane. There’s simply no other explanation for why she deliberately trashed the relationship they were building.”

  “You know, I believed they’d have it all too,” Shane agreed. “Okay. It’s worth a shot even though Jordan will be furious at me for interfering if this backfires. She may have kicked him to the curb but I know he’d still do anything to protect her, even from us. My brother is turning into someone I don’t know. If he loses Kiley forever, I doubt if he’ll ever be himself again so yeah, I’m in,” he convinced hims
elf. “When do you want me to do this?”

  * * * * *

  Tuesday morning, Alyssa arrived at Kiley’s as just as she finished getting ready for work. “Hiya, Kiles. Thought I’d swing by to see how you’re holding up before I go back to convincing the homeless that I’m not exploiting them. Did you sleep at all?”

  “Not much.” Kiley was too tired to pretend. “I’m fine, Lyss really. You don’t have to check on me like I’m some kind of invalid. I told you that last weekend, remember?”

  “I remember and I don’t think you’re an invalid. I think you’re my baby cousin who’s going through an emotional time and might need moral support.”

  “You’re not here to hound me some more?” Kiley was suspicious.

  “Nope. You already know my opinion is that you’re not thinking clearly and that you need to go see Jordan so you can find a way to patch the two of you up.”

  “Gee, thanks for not mentioning that again.”

  “Sarcasm, Kiley? You must be stressed if you’re resorting to that.”

  “Sorry. I’m just tired. I know better than to try to outdo you at that since you’re the sarcasm queen.”

  “Kiley!” Alyssa feigned shock.

  Instantly, Kiley felt bad for her harsh words. “I really am sorry. Here you are, nice enough to worry about me and I’m being a total bitch.”

  “Nah, you’re not a total bitch. We both know I’m the queen of that too,” Alyssa joked and was rewarded with a weak smile. “I figure you’re entitled to a few days of self-pity since you threw away the man you love.”

  “Lyss,” Kiley warned. Before she could continue, there was a knock. “I can’t imagine who this could be.” Her mind went blank when she saw who was on the other side of the door.

  “Morning, Kiley,” Shane began. “I’d like to speak with you for a minute.” He walked in without waiting to be invited. “Hey, Campini. I hate to do this to you but I want a word with Kiley in private.”

  “Shane, I don’t think this is such a good idea.” Kiley was close to panic.

  “Too bad because I’m not leaving until you hear what I came to say. Campini, before you jump down my throat, I’m just here to talk. I assure you that Kiley will be fine.”

  “Kiley?” Alyssa’s expression showed she understood he wasn’t going to reveal her part in initiating his visit.

  “It’s okay,” Kiley responded politely. Silently, she was screaming for him to leave. The last thing she wanted was to be questioned by Jordan’s detective brother.

  “All right then, if you’re sure, I guess I’ll get to work. McKade, I’m warning you—”

  “Yeah, yeah.” With a wink, Shane pushed her toward the door.

  “Um…Shane… I’m not so sure…” Kiley fidgeted nervously.

  “Too bad, Fisher because I am sure. I have something to say that you need to hear. Perhaps you should call your boss before I get into it and let him know that you’ll be a little late.”

  “I can’t be late! Look, I appreciate the thought—”

  Shane scowled. “Two choices. One, you can call and say you’ll be late before you sit down and listen to me or two, I can put you in handcuffs, have you fingerprinted, searched and tossed in a cell for the majority of the day until I’m done working. Then, if I’ve calmed down enough to be civil since needing to do that would really piss me off, you can sit in an interrogation room and listen.”

  Kiley saw the look on his face and knew he’d do it if she didn’t give in. Quickly, she reached for the phone and called Henry. While she explained that she’d be there as soon as she could, she motioned for Shane to join her at the table. After she hung up she waited silently for him to get on with it while she tried, unsuccessfully, to blink back her tears and hide the way her lip was quivering.

  “Kiley, I’m sorry to come on so strong like that. I’m really not here to upset you. I was so afraid you wouldn’t give me a chance to talk to you that I was desperate. I really wouldn’t have taken you in.”

  Kiley appeared doubtful. “Okay,” she finally said.

  “Well, I guess I should get to the point.” Shane let his nervousness show as if he thought it would help. “As I understand it, you didn’t let Jordan give you details pertaining to his discussion with Samuels about Winslow.”

  “It’s over. Isn’t that all that matters?”

  “No, I don’t think so. Not if it being over with Winslow makes it over with Jordan. I already know you saw him leave the station. And I know you heard Brian expounding on the moves Jordan made but what you don’t know is that most of what he said was for my benefit. When we were younger Jordan and Brett used to take turns ambushing me to see if they could overpower me. My only excuse is that we were kids. Fortunately, we never seriously hurt each other. It’s also fortunate that I left for college before they finished growing because they could have bested me no problem by the time they were. Anyway, the first time they came looking for me at the station, we got to teasing about it and Brian overheard us. See, that’s why he felt the need to rib me a little.

  “Kiley, you have to believe me. My brother is the best kind of man in all ways. He’s honest. He cares. He gives his word and stands by it. Once you have his friendship and loyalty, you can count on it forever. He loves you, no matter what. I know he does.”

  “How can he?” Kiley blurted out before she could stop herself.

  “Oh, I assure you he does.” Shane didn’t seem entirely sure that she was referring solely to the way she had ended their relationship. “I could tell by the way his concern was first and foremost for you the night you were drugged. He thought about sending me and Brett to find your cousin second and left Winslow’s part in all of this for last. If he hadn’t loved you then, he would have passed you off to one of us, sent the other to be with Campini, grabbed Winslow and demanded that Vincent take them to Samuels instantly. Instead, he waited until you were able to discuss it before he confronted him, then respected your wishes on what happened to Winslow. If it had been up to the rest of us, we would have let him fend for himself with Samuels.

  “Think about it for a minute. My brother is the most honest, legitimate to the point of being obsessive, businessman ever. To protect you and to ensure things turned out the way you said you wanted them to, he had someone’s private bank account frozen. Now it may have been undetectable. It may or may not have been done legally but who knows?

  “Then, the man who tried to use you was right in front of him, giving Jordan every opportunity to beat him senseless and all he did was only what was needed to defend himself. He left the station under questionable circumstances with the man he’d just tangled with and a lawyer of dubious, at best, repute. He willingly got into a highly visible car with a man who is well known and goes to the house of someone rather high up on our list of commonly known but untouchable money movers. I say untouchable only because we can’t ever prove anything. And yes, I went there after him so I do know what I’m talking about here.”

  “Oh my God,” Kiley finally realized what he was getting at. “He could lose everything he’s worked for. Or at least his reputation and credibility. Shane, so could you!”

  “Possibly, but that’s the point. Jordan loves you so much that he was willing to risk it. Putting it simply, you’re worth it. You mean more to him than all that.”

  Silent tears streamed down Kiley’s cheeks. “What about you?”

  “He’s my brother. Even though I knew he could have handled everything without me, I needed to be there with him. To me, he’s worth it. And, since I trust his judgment, so are you.”

  Shane grabbed the box of tissues from the counter and sat back down beside her instead of across from her. “Please, Kiley will you let me tell you what happened at Samuels’ house?”

  Kiley dried her tears and finally met his eyes. “Yes.” For the most part she let him speak without interruption. When he concluded, she asked, “Do you think Samuels meant it when he said he wouldn’t use your going there to his advanta
ge?”

  “Yes and so does Jordan,” Shane answered honestly. “He’s very proud of you.”

  “I don’t think so.” She tried to laugh.

  “He is, Kiley. I told you how he described you to Samuels. I spent a lot of time with him last weekend too. At one point he was telling me more about you, about your family. You haven’t had the easiest life and yet you’re not bitter or withdrawn,” Shane sighed. “Jordan said he will always love you and I believe him. You broke his heart and it’s tearing him to pieces but I think there’s a part of him that’s weirdly fascinated because he can’t figure out why you’re doing this.”

  Shane seemed undecided for a moment and then added, “Something I left out is that Jordan thinks you need to work on your self-confidence. He mentioned it several times, including during his discussion with Samuels.” He let his statement sink in. “How right is he?”

  “Shane…”

  “Stop it, Kiley. I know you’re not seriously afraid of my brother. You may have reacted to the way he seemed at first but, by the next day you knew he was only doing what he had to.” He waited but she was back to crying silently.

  “Don’t feel bad. He intimidates me too.” Shane proceeded to tell her much of what he’d recently admitted to Brett in case she hadn’t already heard it. “I’ve been thinking since then. Or should I say I remembered something I always knew. Jordan really does have excellent judgment. I trust his instincts. If he has faith in me, so should I. One of the differences between me and Brett is that he’s never let go of that. I wonder what I’d have accomplished by now if I hadn’t given in to my own doubts. Maybe you need to concentrate on the faith Jordan has in you too.”